Chairman Roe and Secretary Shulkin noted that VA's budget has increased by 175 percent since 2006.

It is a budget request that is robust, and it is one that continues this Nation's long tradition of investing in our veterans.

This Committee, led by Chairman Roe, has been working hard hand-in-hand with our veterans' service organization partners.

I want to take a moment to bring attention to the Herculean effort put forward by VA employees, to keep facilities operational both during and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Thank you, all for being here today, and for all the good work each of you do to serve your veteran neighbors in Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean.

I'm Congressman Brad Wenstrup and I represent Ohio's Second Congressional District and I'm honored to serve as the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on health.

I look forward to working with all of you in that regard, not only here in Puerto Rico, but across the United States of America.

We talked about provider shortage and the challenges that we face, and it's not just in the VA.

Well, thank you, very much Congresswoman.

We have people that, many people have gotten their medical education through the military, and they serve in the military.

We will have only one panel of witnesses and only those invited to testify will be permitted to speak.

Let's set the record straight. Yesterday, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said that part of the reason for the shutdown is that this is the fourth CR this term. Why do we have CRs--continuing resolutions? Well, when Congress doesn't pass…

I oppose the amendment and support the underlying bill. I served a year in Iraq, and every day we got foreign intelligence information to us. Why? Because it helped us prepare. It helped us plan. It helped us deter. It helped us save…

More jobs, bigger paychecks, and fairer taxes. Those are the three big promises of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and I am proud to lend my support. This tax relief legislation serves as an opportunity for all American families to achieve the…

Providing for the common defense, that is a constitutional duty that this governing body was tasked with. By passing the NDAA, we are working to ensure that our country keeps faith with those who bravely serve and their families. While the…

I strongly urge my colleagues to support Mr. Barr's legislation, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act. North Korea has continued to prove a dangerous and destabilizing force to the northeast Asian region, as well as to the…

I am pleased to be an original co-sponsor of H.R. 3218.

If we set up metrics, we should be able to set up metrics to evaluate the VA health care system in general, each VISN, each hospital, each facility, CBOC, each practitioner, for that matter.

The Nadler amendment would allow detainees currently housed at GTMO to be transferred to the United States. As in previous conflicts, it is appropriate and lawful to hold detainees that we engage in our armed conflicts. Guantanamo is the…

I claim the time in opposition to the Nadler amendment. The CHAIR. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for 5 minutes.

I can tell you a lot of the ideas that I hear coming out of today are greatly appreciated, but, to be honest with you, there are a lot of ideas that I and other Members of this Committee have been talking about and asking to be implemented…

I missed two votes on June 22. If I were present, I would have voted on the following: Rollcall No. 316: On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea.'' Rollcall No. 317: On Passage of H. Res. 396, ``yea.'' personal explanation

This is not the case. And privatization is certainly not the goal.

But you can't ignore the reality.

I thank the chairman for yielding, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this. You know, as a physician, we take an oath. We say: Do no harm. And today in America and here in Washington, D.C., we are debating physician-assisted…